Cliff Deveny, MD, president and CEO of Akron, Ohio-based Summa Health, plans to step down and transition into a new role amid the system’s recent ownership change, he wrote in an Oct. 29 column published in the Akron Beacon Journal.
Dr. Deveny will become CEO emeritus and a strategic adviser, effective Jan. 1.
Summa Health finalized a $485 million deal Oct. 1 to join General Catalyst’s Health Assurance Transformation Co., transitioning Summa into a for-profit, taxable health system. HATCo President Daryl Tol will serve as acting president and CEO until a successor is named, cleveland.com reported Oct. 29.
Dr. Deveny will be “actively engaged and present” through 2026, supporting transformation and integration efforts and helping to identify his successor, he wrote. He returned to Summa as president and CEO in 2017 and previously held leadership roles there between 1997 and 2011, including president of Summa Physicians, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“This decision wasn’t made lightly — nor was it made alone,” Dr. Deveny wrote in the column. “It was made together and reflects a shared commitment to ensuring Summa Health’s long-term vitality, preparing for the future and embracing the importance of thoughtful succession planning, which is critical for any long-standing organization to withstand the test of time.”
The partnership with HATCo is intended to strengthen operations and modernize care delivery. Proceeds from the deal will help Summa pay off $850 million in debt and fund a separately governed community foundation called the Trailhead Community Health Foundation of Greater Akron, according to the cleveland.com report.
Becker’s has reached out to Summa and will update this story if more information becomes available.
